Stories of Sustainability

Seneca is proud of its employees, faculty, students and alumni who are doing awe-inspiring work in the environmental and sustainability area. Below are some of the highlights:

City of Toronto grant helps plant 2,600 trees and shrubs on Seneca campuses

Seneca Polytechnic’s campuses are greener than ever, thanks to a City of Toronto grant that helped plant more than 2,600 trees and shrubs.

Taking vertical farming to the next level

It’s easy for many of us to look at unused space and envision it becoming something else, such as a playground or a swimming pool.

The buzz that is helping build more sustainable campuses

It’s easy to forget about bees — one of nature’s smaller creatures that have a profound role in food production and biodiversity — but they make a big buzz at Seneca.

Seneca Fashion prof publishes groundbreaking study on textile waste

Data shows 86 per cent of discarded materials have reuse or recycling potential

Forest garden at Seneca inspires students to lead

Project funded by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and WWF-Canada

Seneca receives $75,000 from the City of Toronto to continue Newnham Campus greening project

More green spaces to be created for students, employees and the local community

One step closer to a more sustainable Seneca

Seneca signs the Sustainable Development Goals Accord

Seneca receives $75,000 from the City of Toronto to continue Newnham Campus greening project

Kristen Berkeley promotes diversity, inclusion of outdoor life through merchandise line

Native plant seeds harvested on campus to improve wildlife habitats

Seneca one of five postsecondary institutions selected for WWF-Canada initiative

Seneca awarded $360,000 for applied research benefiting urban farmers

Project brings together science, business, sustainability

Seneca establishes transformative $12-million endowment to support student-focused equity initiatives

Seneca announced that it is establishing The Jane Fund, a $12-million investment dedicated to supporting student-focused Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives.

Seneca receives green funding from the City of Toronto to add native trees and shrubs to Newnham Campus

Seneca’s Newnham Campus in Toronto will be greener, thanks to new funding from the City of Toronto.

Seneca joins institutions across Canada to form Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery

Learn about the initiative launched by a group of eight climate-action leading institutions from all regions of the country.

Tim Beckner and Mike Devlin chopping woods in the forest

Learn about a thinning operation that is renewing about 52 acres of forested area at Seneca’s King Campus.

Charanpreet Singh Deu, Nicole Lentini, José Rosales unwrap the Philly Pride Flag.

The Philly Pride Flag will be displayed permanently in the Senecentre at Newnham Campus as a symbol of inclusivity and diversity at Seneca.

robotic floor cleaner

Learn how one of Seneca’s aging floor cleaners was retrofitted with self-driving technology as part of an applied research project.

Textile mountain offers view of waste in fashion

The Dumpster Dive exhibit, a collaboration between Sustainable Seneca and the School of Fashion, is raising awareness about textile waste.

Ribbon skirts more than a fashion affair

Students from the School of Fashion stitched a collection of sustainable, custom-made ribbon skirts for indigenous students to borrow and wear at ceremonies.

Seneca signs fashionable agreement in Peru

In December 2019, Seneca signed a memorandum of understanding with Chio Lecca School of Fashion — Peru's most prominent fashion institute — where Seneca students will participate in a faculty-led program to learn about Peruvian textiles and techniques to naturally dye fabrics.

Sustainability takes centre stage at Seneca

Learn about on-campus initiatives including the Sustainability Fair, fish harvest luncheon and environmentally conscious maintenance equipment.

 Seneca rolls out free menstrual products

All 100 female, accessible and gender-neutral washrooms at Seneca now offer free feminine hygiene products, making Seneca the first and only Canadian postsecondary institution to do so college-wide.

Hundreds come out for Doors Open Toronto

In May 2019, Seneca welcomed the Toronto community to Odeyto and the Stephen E. Quinlan Building as part of the annual Doors Open Toronto event. More than 740 community members visited Odeyto to view its architectural design that reflects Indigenous traditions from the exterior shape to the interior décor.

Seneca grad Steven Bourne of Ripple Farms picks some lettuce at the Seneca Urban Farm at Newnham Campus

Farmers of the award-winning Ripple Farms partnered with Seneca’s Faculty of Continuing Education & Training and HELIX to develop a one-day boot camp about vertical farming.

 Seneca employees win academic pathway awards

Bill Humber, founding director of Office of Eco Seneca and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Seneca Committee, was recognized with a 2019 Colleges and Institutes Canada Award of Excellence.

Seneca hosts first symposium on sustainable fashion

The Transforming Our World symposium about sustainable fashion took place over three days at Newnham Campus and included an exhibition showcasing student, alumni and faculty works along with a clothing swap.

Students from Seneca's Sustainable Business Management graduate certificate program created a “waterfall” using hundreds of used plastic drinking bottles.

SMB grads win Startup Canada Social Enterprise of the Year Award

Brandon Hebor and Steven Bourne of Ripple Farms take home the hardware presented by the Centre For Social Innovation.

Sustainable Business Management students create a holiday tree from used coffee cups at Newnham cafeteria to raise awareness of the litter we generate.

Seneca leads national dry-cleaning project

Seneca receives more than $131,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada to help dry-cleaning operators across the country understand their role in preventing pollution.